Local Face, Terry McGrath

On 8 October 1952, Terry caught the 8:01 steam train from Watford to Harrow, his regular school journey. As a 12 year old, his favourite trick was to open the carriage door and leap onto the platform before the train stopped. This athletic practice may have saved his life that day. In 2007, Terry commented on a website as a witness to a terrible accident: https://tinyurl. com/33avd8tw, "Just as I was getting to the steps to the footbridge there was a great explosion of noise and as I looked round and to my horror I saw the carriages rising up from the ground and also saw a lady disappear beneath them. I then ran up the steps at great speed and along the footbridge which fell away behind me as I reached the concrete steps out of the station." Full details at https://tinyurl.com/2tcykn3b

Tennis was Terry's favourite sport, following in his father's footsteps. He met Jean at Harrow Tennis Club in January 1962 and by March they were married - in those days there was a tax benefit in marrying before

the start of a new tax year and Terry was an accountant! They moved to Tring for his work. Terry's prowess at Tring Tennis Club was legendary and helped improve the Club. He became afounder member of Aylesbury Tennis Club. One day they couldn't play as it was raining. He asked where were the squash courts? There were none so he and two others raised funds to build one. Squash took off throughout the County.

In the early 1970s, his father had the opportunity to buy a premises in Watford and he invited Terry to join him in starting a betting shop. This became very popular including with Watford football players. Terry didn't enjoy being beaten by younger tennis players so he decided to learn to play golf at Weston Turville and progressed until his handicap was low enough to join Ellesborough Golf Club where he played until he was 61. A move to Wendover in 1992 was logical. Technology was changing the way of work so Terry sold his business to Ladbrokes in 2001. He discovered that Halton Tennis Centre welcomed senior players and he was back on court again with great success again.

Terry and Jean had successfully raised their children, Andy and Julie, and looked forward to an enjoyable retirement. This was cut short when Jean died in 2004. Terry was devastated and threw himself into organising fund raising tennis tournaments at Halton. Eventually he raised over £7K for Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity which had helped all members of the family so much at this tragic time.

with Ivy Cooper (left), one of the most successful lady tennis players in the country in her day, and Pat, a very good friend